The Sea Underwater
by unsaidesires
Summary: [HiroSei] When Seishuu found out that he could go snorkeling, he decided to bring Naru and the others along as he wanted to make up for the time he had a fever and couldn't go to the beach with them. What he thought would be an exhausting but enjoyable trip to the sea turned out to become a really sweet and beautiful one. (Fluff!) [title subjected to changes]
1. Chapter 1

_**A/n : /screams/ finally wrote something after like months! I'm so sorry for being inactive but thanks so much for the reviews on my other stories! I really really appreciate them! Anyway, this chapter will just be a quick introduction to the plot and all. It's probably gonna be a little dry here, but I promise - i really do - that the subsequent ones will be great. but I'll probably take a really long time because life is so full of stuff. Either way, please enjoy!**_

* * *

"Snorkeling?" Seishuu repeated after the school headmaster. "It's allowed here?"

"Yep!" The school headmaster, Kazuyuki, replied with a smile. "We don't do it ver' often, but since the weather's been pretty nice lately, why not?"

Seishuu's eyes glowed and he nearly forgot he was holding onto the fishing rod and almost dropped it into the river.

"For real?!" Seishuu's eyes glowed even brighter under the hot sun.

"Fer real!"

"Then can I bring Naru and the others?" Seishuu asked, his enormous smile and glittery eyes still plastered onto his face.

"Sure, go 'head. But take Hiroshi along too, ta help ya take care of 'em kids," Kazuyuki advised as he kept his eyes on his rod.

"Of course!" Seishuu almost got up on his feet.

He had _never_ in his life tried snorkeling, so when the topic came up all of a sudden in Kazuyuki's and his conversation, he felt like a won a lottery or something. Okay, fine, maybe that's too extreme, but still, he was extremely excited and eager to try it out. I mean, who wouldn't seize the opportunity to duck your head underwater and look at fishes up close? Come on.

After he caught some crayfish with the headmaster, he headed right on home to wait for Hiroshi to come deliver his lunch, and at the same time maybe help him cook his crayfish as well.

Before he could even get ready and put the crayfish down though, there was a knock on the door. Seishuu smiled to himself. He didn't need to open the door to know who it was. Hiroshi always knocked like that.

He glided to the door and slided it open.

Hiroshi greeted with his usual smile with a champon in one hand and another in his pocket.

"G'afternoon, sensei," Hiroshi said. Seishuu's heart skipped half a beat. It had always been like this. The usual. However for some reason, it felt different.

"Good afternoon..." Seishuu greeted. "Wait... Why are you coming through the front door?"

Hiroshi usually came from the _back_ door. And Seishuu remembered that they even made a mutual verbal agreement on that.

It took Seishuu half a minute to figure it out, and he sighed when it all hit him. Before he could say anything, Naru, Miwa and Tamako popped out from behind Hiroshi. Heck, even Hina was there.

"Yo, sensei!"

"Good afternoon!"

"How ya doin'?"

"Good afternoon," it ended with Hina's greeting.

Seishuu groaned and said, "Why are you guys here?"

"Hey, that's not the way you should welcome people!" Miwa protested.

"I didn't even welcome you!"

"There, there, let's just go in," Hiroshi, being the 'mature' one, let himself in first, and naturally, the rest of the children followed and Seishuu just let them in anyway.

As Naru and Hina ran around the house playfully, and Miwa and Tamako played and gossiped among themselves, Hiroshi and Seishuu sat down at Seishuu's writing table.

"Sen—"

"Hiro!" Seishuu smacked the table with both hands with a thud, interrupting the blond. "I have something to tell you!"

Hiroshi was left stumped. _So... So sudden..._

"... What is it?"

"Er, erm, I heard from the school headmaster that it's possible to go snorkeling, so..." His voice trailed away and his fingers started to fidget.

Now, let me get this straight. It's not like Seishuu particularly wanted Hiroshi to go with him. I mean, if Hiroshi didn't want to go, then he couldn't bring Naru and the others along right? Yeah.

"You wanna go?" Seishuu popped the question.

"Snorkeling? Sure, why not? But are ya really okay with that? What about your calligraphy? Ya haven't been writin' for some time," Hiroshi surprisingly agreed to it pretty readily and casually.

"That's _precisely_ the point!" Seishuu replied.

"Eh?! What?" Hiroshi, still pretty much taken aback, was feeling a little confused now.

"I mean, the reason why I haven't been writing for some time is because the inspiration haven't hit me yet. My hands aren't trembling... And I can't seem to put anything down on paper..." Seishuu's voice entered a decrescendo and eventually disappeared.

"So... Snorkeling will help?" Hiroshi simply summarized what Seishuu was trying to say for the past couple of minutes.

"Yes!" Seishuu glowed, before adding. "And I was thinking of bringing Naru and the others along. Besides, I didn't manage to go to the beach with them the other time, so I wanna make up for it."

Hiroshi, despite his unchanging expression, could feel his heart literally melt into a warm, pulsing mess inside his chest. When he didn't say anything — did not manage to, Seishuu quickly continued.

"Ah! I-I know it'll be a little too dangerous for them, but I think if we're around, it should be fine. There's also Miwa and Tama."

Hiroshi let out a little exhale and smiled a little, replying, "Yeah, 's true. So I guess everything's all set?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's go now."

Seishuu fell silent, and all of a sudden, the children's cries and voices became louder than they should be.

"Now?" He repeated slowly.

"Yep."

"Eh?! Bu-But isn't it too sudden?!" Seishuu grew flustered too quickly, causing his head to spin slightly. "And what if they already made plans for—"

Hiroshi didn't wait for Seishuu to finish pouring out all his questions before he turned to the others in the room and said loudly, catching their attention, "Heey! Sensei said he wanna bring ya guys on a snorkelin' trip!"

Naru, of course, was the first one to react, "Snorkeling?!" She scurried like a little hamster to Seishuu's side. "Are ya serious, sensei?!"

"Uwah!" Seishuu's mind hadn't registered what was happening and he snapped back to reality where Naru's face was plastered close to his and he got shocked. "Well, uh, yeah!"

"Why so sudden, sensei?" Miwa piped up.

"B-Because, that day I had a fever right? And I couldn't go to the beach with you guys, so I just thought..." Seishuu scratched the back of his head. "I just thought I should at least make up for it."

Seishuu was at least a hundred percent sure he felt the room become much warmer than usual, as big smiles and slightly rose-colored cheeks suddenly pounced towards him.

"Aawww, senseeei! You're so sweet!" Miwa patted his back several times with the biggest smile on her face.

"Th-Thank you!" Hina, on the other hand, tugged at his sleeve with tears glistening in her eyes as she said her thanks.

"Senseeei! I, Naru, will never forget this!" Naru said in an exaggerated manner as she hugged Seishuu's torso real hard and buried her face in his usual white t-shirt.

"Waaah, I've never snorkeled before! Thanks so much, sensei!" Tama pulled at his arm, her glasses brimming with gratitude.

"E-Eh?! What's with you guys suddenly?! And don't talk all at once, geez! Wai- Hey! Don't hit me! Naru, you too!" Seishuu was overwhelmed by the power of the girls coming at full force at one go, and he had no idea what to do to make them stop. He was at a loss for what to do and he flailed his arms in an attempt to push them away and put a halt to all the chaos. "Ah! Stop pulling me in all directions!"

Hiroshi chuckled to himself as he watched Seishuu struggle with the children. He had this urge to go ahead and pull at Seishuu too, but he decided against it.

Hiroshi inhaled a little and cleared his throat, spoiling the heartwarming atmosphere, and said, "Well, what's snorkeling without snorkeling gear?"

Immediately after the heartwarming atmosphere was gone, it was quickly replaced with an excited one as Naru leaped what seemed like five feet into the air, with a fist in the air.

"Oh, does everyone here have snorkeling gear?" Seishuu asked, also quickly back to business mode. All of them had one, except Hina, but Naru said she had an extra, so Hina was safe and ready to go. Once they get their snorkeling gear from their homes, of course.

"What about you, sensei?" Tamako asked in turn.

"... Ah," Seishuu came to a — pretty much shocking actually — realization after pausing for a moment. "I don't have one!"

Everyone sighed. They _knew_ it. They knew it was coming at some point in time.

"H-Hiro! What do I do? Do they sell snorkeling gear on this island?!" Seishuu dropped to panic mode a little too fast, unfortunately.

"Relax, sensei!" Hiroshi calmed him down and scratched the back of his head, sighing. "I've an extra one, and it's 'round ya size, so it's gonna be alright."

With that, Seishuu sighed with relief, and leaned back on his hands. "Whew!" Then he sat back upright again. "So are we going to leave for the beach now?"

"Yep!" Hiroshi replied. "But it'll be a different beach this time."

"Eh? A different one?" Seishuu asked.

"Yeah!" Naru replied in place of Hiroshi. "There's one more on the outskirts of the island! I think my grandpa said you've 'een it 'fore!"

Seishuu fell silent and then lit up again. "Ah! You mean that one I saw when I first came to the island?"

"Dunno!" Naru simply shrugged. "Gramps didn't say!"

"I 'eard there's more fishes ta see there!" Miwa piped up.

"Really? Then that's great!" Tama grinned.

"Then let's go now!" Naru jumped up and clung onto Seishuu, urging him on.

Seishuu could not help but grin from ear to ear as the girls started to chatter among themselves excitedly and one by one, they began to leave through the door and run to their homes to get their snorkeling gear, getting ready for the impromptu trip to the sea.

Hiroshi and Seishuu were quickly left behind and just as Seishuu finally got his butt off the floor, Naru popped back in and informed, "Sensei! I'll go call Kenta and the others too!"

Before Seishuu could even react, she zoomed off like a bullet train. He sighed. Guess there's no helping it. Besides, the more, the merrier.

Hiroshi placed a hand gently on the small of Seishuu's back, pecked him on the cheek and said, "Come on," Hiroshi flashed his best smile. "Let's go."

Seishuu returned his smile with a light tinge of red coloring his cheeks and ruffled Hiroshi's blond hair casually. "Yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/n : *screams* _**  
**_Thank you all SO MUCH for waiting! I know I always take such a long time for each chapter, and I'm really grateful to anyone who's waiting for new chapters or stories! Well... Anyway, I really REALLY like how this chapter turned out (I think)! aaahhhh! Though, idk if I'm gonna continue this. In fact, I don't think I will. Sooo, if you have any prompts for new stories, do tell me! I'll really appreciate it! I love you guys so much! As usual, (I miss saying this now) please enjoy!_**

* * *

"Snorkeling time!" Naru, Miwa, Tamako and the other children jumped off the tractor and landed on the pavement with thuds sounding in a rhythmic fashion. All of them had their snorkeling gear and floats and towels in hand and were hopping excitedly like little popcorn popping.

"Hurry up, sensei! Naru urged as she turned back to look up at the said man. However, he wasn't listening. Nothing really went in, actually.

He was holding onto the back of the tractor with one hand and looking out dreamily at the blue open sea just ahead. It stretched out far beyond the horizon, meeting the sky. They were like two pieces of felt joined together at the edge, and sprinkled on it were soft white cotton wool clouds and pop-up pieces of blue and green paper. To top it all off, a pinch of glitter was scattered over the sea. Yeah, just like this. It looked exactly like the first time he saw it when he came to the island. Exactly like this.

He smiled a little to himself as a feeling of déjà vu spread across him. But now, as he's standing there with everyone else, he realized that it's different this time.

"Come on, sensei! Don't space out!" Tamako reached up and pulled at his hand, snapping him out of his daydream. "The others went already!" She pointed out at the group of children rushing to the sea, their snorkeling gear shaking in their hands.

Seishuu's mind jolted and he was back.

"W-Wait!" He leapt off and rushed after them, Hiroshi following close behind after he thanked Naru's grandfather for the ride. "Hey, stay close, you brats! Don't go too far!" Seishuu yelled after the children as he ran after them desperately.

By the time he reached them, they were already in the cooling seawater and were enjoying themselves, splashing water at each other, getting their snorkeling gear ready and pulling floats over their heads.

Before anyone could say anything, Kenta shouted, "Hey, hey! Here! There's a big school of fish here!" He ducked his head under the surface of the water right after he called out to them and began to play with the fish.

The other children quickly gathered around and did the same, much to Seishuu's relief actually, since they won't be running — swimming, actually — around too much.

Geez, Seishuu had to admit he was already tired before he even started.

Hiroshi splashed in after taking off his shirt and stood beside Seishuu, observing the children with him.

"It feels great, doesn't it?" Hiroshi commented casually. "Great weather, great water. We don't get this all the time."

Seishuu turned to him and replied, "Yeah, that's true." It was only after he turned to face Hiroshi that he realized that Hiroshi was staring at him. Well, not staring intensely or anything, but more of a in-a-daze kind of staring. Quickly, Seishuu turned red a little, "Wh-what are you looking at?"

"Hm, nothin'," Hiroshi fell silent for a while, as if something caught his tongue by accident. "I was just thinkin'... What if ya didn't come to this island?"

Seishuu couldn't find an answer to that.

"A lot of things would've been different." Hiroshi said, replying his own question.

"Well, that's for sure, isn't it?"

Hiroshi inched closer, forming water ripples as he shifted. "But, I'm really thankful ya came 'ere." It was only when Seishuu felt Hiroshi place a hand on his waist that he realized how close they suddenly were. "If not, I wouldn't have fallen in love with ya."

"Wai-"

Seishuu was swiftly cut off by a kiss on the lips.

When they pulled away, Seishuu blushed and his face became hotter than the weather. Okay, well, not that the weather was _that_ hot. He placed a hand over his mouth and sputtered, "D-D-Don't do that so suddenly! And-And what if people see us? There are kids here!"

Hiroshi chuckled and assured, "It's 'lright. Their attention span ain't that short, ya know?" Hiroshi pointed in the children's direction and Seishuu followed its trail.

It was true; the children were still at the same spot.

Just as Hiroshi took a step away, the bunch of children waddled over like little penguins and asked, "Sensei, can we go further into the water?"

Seishuu looked out at the sea that seemed to stretch even further and then back at them again. "Fine, _but_ make sure you don't go pass a certain point okay?" He looked out again. "Hm, let's see... Hiro! Go to that spot there... A little further... Yeah, there! Okay, guys, no further than where Hiro is standing okay?"

"Yeeess!" The children agreed in a sing-song voice.

"No, further, than that! Got it?" Seishuu had to confirm with them again.

"Yes, yes!" The children chanted.

"Miwa and Tama, help me look after them too!"

"Yes, sir!" Miwa and Tamako said in unison.

"Alright then, run al— no, I mean, swim along now!" Seishuu gestured them to go on and do what they want. As long as they stay in the safe zone, that is.

The children hurriedly swam away in their floats, shouting excitedly and laughing loudly, pointing to various spots where schools of fishes were welcoming them.

"Oh, here's your snorkeling gear, sensei," Hiroshi held out his extra mask and snorkel.

"Oh, Hiro! Thanks a lot!" Seishuu beamed and took it from him. "Well, let's go join them, shall we?"

It was probably because of the sunlight that made Seishuu look terribly handsome that day, Hiroshi was sure of that — he had to be. And when the calligrapher smiled, he could feel himself falling deeper.

_Oh, god_dammit_, sensei._

"Yeah, let's go," Hiroshi replied and both of them waddled in the water before they let themselves sink into it, the cooling water wrapping its arms around their bodies.

* * *

"Are you feeling okay, Tama?" Seishuu asked after some time of snorkeling with the children.

Tama rose from the surface of the ocean, water trickling down her face and neck. She popped her mouthpiece out and replied, "Yeah, the sun's not that hot today."

Seishuu heaved a sigh of relief, "Whew! That's great! But make sure not to overdo it!"

"Yes!" With that, Tama paddled over to Kenta and his group of boyfriends and warned them not to be too violent to the fishes. They are living things, after all.

After a second or two, Naru and Hina swam past Seishuu and Hiroshi in their floats, shouting happily as Miwa playfully chased them, and very occasionally ducking their heads underwater in various spots.

"Be careful!" Seishuu couldn't help but shout after them.

After some time of observing, Seishuu felt his shoulders relax a bit, like a burden had been washed off - _Literally_, ha. All the children were behaving properly today, and there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

The air was filled with sounds of water splashing, cries of over-excited children and tons of crazy laughter. It was a pretty magnificent sight to Seishuu as he looked around him.

His fingers suddenly twitched a little and he jolted up slightly by the sudden movement in his body. However, it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.

_Ah... My fingers were trembling a little... Almost like... _

He let out another sigh, but it wasn't a sigh of relief or exhaustion, but more of a sigh filled with a it's-coming-back-again kind of feeling, and that it's time for work again.

Of course, when it comes to calligraphy, he can't possibly be unhappy that he has work to do. Unknowingly, he let his thoughts slip, "Just a little more... And..."

"And?" Hiroshi butted in, scaring the living daylights out of Seishuu who was deep in thought.

"What the— Hiro! Don't scare me like that!" Seishuu clenched his fists, his face turning pink.

Hiroshi casually floated around him, and laughed at his reaction, "Haha, ya get scared way too easily, sensei!"

"Well, I'm glad you know that!" Seishuu pouted.

"There, there," Hiroshi said teasingly, getting another glare from Seishuu. "An'way, sensei, I know a better spot than this!"

"Better spot?" Seishuu's glare dissipated.

"Yeah! It's prettier than here!" Hiroshi exclaimed with a different kind of light in his eyes. "I've ne'er been there 'fore but I know where it is."

"Eh, are you serious?" The calligrapher's eyes glowed even under the sunlight. "Take me there!"

Hiroshi grabbed Seishuu by the hand and pulled him along gently, while assuring, "It's not that far, so don't worry. We can still see the kids."

Seishuu nodded exaggeratedly, his wet hair flapping against his scalp. Following Hiroshi as he was pulled along, he let his feet lift off the seabed and started to kick, following close beside Hiroshi, unwilling to stray too far. Even if Hiroshi was holding his hand.

Hiroshi was right: it wasn't far at all. Just a handful of kicks and they're there. They eventually arrived at a slightly darker area than where they were previously. Seishuu, by instinct, tried to place his feet on the seabed. However, Hiroshi felt the weight in his hand move and he swiftly stopped Seishuu, "Sensei! Don't! Don't put your feet down!"

Seishuu jolted, and he really did jolt in the water — ripples that reflected his panic appeared all around him. "W-What? What's wrong?!" His grip on Hiroshi's hand tightened in an instant and Hiroshi could feel a little gasp leave his lips. He pulled the poor, frightened man closer to him by the arm, so that Seishuu's body wasn't that vertically straight and was instead floating horizontally near the surface of the water. "Let the water hold ya up... Yeah, like this."

Seishuu held on and he seemed to have stopped breathing for a while as he tried to level his body.

On the other hand, fortunately for Hiroshi, Seishuu wasn't really paying attention to just _how close_ they were. Their faces were centimeters apart and the blonde swore he could smell the ocean in the other man's hair. He swallowed. Oh _god, _he could even see the tiny water droplets on Seishuu's eyelashes which fluttered occasionally as he peered down at the blue under his nose. Unbelievable. If they weren't in this situation, Hiroshi would have smothered him with kisses and smooches. Trust me, just a little tweak and that would be it.

"Oh, oh! I-I think I'm okay now, Hiro!" Hiroshi snapped out of it and he managed to find his breath again.

"You _think_?" Hiroshi joked with a smile on his face.

"Geez, I'm sorry, okay?!" Seishuu retaliated, completely ignoring the fact that their lips were inches apart.

Hiroshi felt like he could die. He could feel Seishuu's hot breath against his lips as the black-haired man chuckled and spoke. _Focus, Hiroshi. Focus!_

"Anyway, here! This is the spot!" Hiroshi felt Seishuu's grip on his hand loosen as each moment passes and his heart, too, felt more at ease. "Look underwater, sensei."

Seishuu prepped himself in record time: pulled down his goggles and popped his mouthpiece in all in one second flat. He exhaled. And down underwater his head went.

Calling what he saw beautiful or gorgeous would be a _ridiculous_ understatement. The beauty of what he saw was heart-stopping, hypnotic, tempestuous. This time, he really forgot to breathe.

It weren't just about the fishes. It was also about the coral reefs, big, small, colorful, dull, weird and exotic. It was like an underwater garden. And a dazzling one at that, filled with beautiful magenta, forest green, yellow and pale pink flowers. It spread out _endlessly_. He literally saw no end to this magnificent sight. Majority of the coral reefs swayed and danced along with the gentle and quiet water currents while the fishes darted around, making their way through. Fishes — we definitely cannot not talk about that — of _all_ kinds were _everywhere_, scattered around messily, in schools and hiding in between rocks and reefs. Some of them, especially the smaller ones, casually swam past Seishuu's face and some bolder ones came closer to poke at his goggles, startling him and snapping him out of his daze. He forgot how long he had been in a daze, though.

The moment he took his eyes off the vibrant and dazzling colors, he noticed the charming blue of the ocean that stretched out even further in front of him, erasing details of reefs and fishes as it went. Bam. He's in a daze again.

An overwhelming sense of déjà vu settled upon him and he recalled back to the first time he came to the island. Naru's grandfather gave him a ride, and that was also the first time he saw the sea. _This_ sea. _This_ blue. This absolutely elegant blue. That time probably wasn't as beautiful as the first time he watched the sunset with Naru, but the feeling he had in his chest — a warm, unknown fuzzy and peaceful feeling that he had then — oh god, he could _never_ forget that.

This time, he saw the sea again. Underwater.

The same warm, unknown fuzzy and peaceful feeling enveloped his heart, like warm chocolate syrup over fresh hot waffles.

In this 'sea underwater', he looked to the right and Hiroshi was there. He saw Hiroshi smiling brightly and somewhat proudly at him, his eyes two happy fine lines behind his goggles.

There was no sound, no voice. Just the unsaid words and unheard feelings.

It was like a muted movie.

All Seishuu could see in this movie of his were Hiroshi, the fishes and the coral reefs. All he could feel were the cold water against his skin, that chocolate-syrup feeling in his chest, and the ever-so-warm touch of Hiroshi's hand. It was magical and he felt like he could just pass out from everything.

He wanted to open his mouth this speak — which he can't, actually — but the desire faded away after realizing there was no need to say a thing. Everything was already right there. All the words, all the feelings, all the thoughts. Right there, laid out nicely for one another.

Besides, both of them already knew what the other would say.

Hiroshi squeezed Seishuu's hand, catching his attention and Seishuu looked at him questioningly.

Hiroshi gestured for him to see what he was going to do. Seishuu nodded and watched with awe and anticipation. Hiroshi held out his other hand and the glassy and colorful fish gathered around it, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. They bumped and nudged his hand gently, as if it was an old friend, and Hiroshi was sure some even went as far as to kiss it. He slowly started to caress them, careful not to make any sudden movements in the water and scaring them off unintentionally. His knuckles softly touched one of the fishes, his skin making contact with cold scales, while his fingers nudged back at another. His hand playfully brushed against the friendly fishes as he looked back at Seishuu, his eyes smiling, who was on the verge of tears due to the fact that the fishes were so adorable and affectionate.

With his hand which was holding onto Seishuu's, Hiroshi tugged at it, cuing him to do the same. Seishuu, dramatically, expressed his emotions and feelings just through his eyes. It was pretty clear to Hiroshi that he really, _really_ wanted to play with the fishes but he was also scared and nervous. "What if the fishes bite me? What if they _hate_ me?!" was what he seemed to be saying. Hiroshi sighed and persistently tugged at his hand.

After much wordless persuasion and tugging, Seishuu finally stretched a hand. His heart thundering loud in the quiet waters, he cautiously extended his arm to reach the fishes. Unfortunately, the fishes deemed his hand to be unfamiliar and frightening, it seemed, as a majority of the fishes darted away, leaving just a couple still hovering near Hiroshi's hand. Seishuu whipped back to look at Hiroshi for help desperately, tears nearly welling up in his eyes. Hiroshi, on the other hand, could not help but laugh to himself as he watched how desperate and dejected Seishuu was, just to get the fishes' attention. _Geez, what a cutie,_ he thought. Seishuu, though, was fighting back the urge to withdraw his hand, but Hiroshi's hand on his forearm told him it was going to be alright.

However, the couple of fishes near Hiroshi's hand were accompanied by more, and pretty soon, they also got used to the fact that Seishuu's hand was there too, and cautiously swam over to it, like how cautiously Seishuu stretched out his hand. What seemed like a miracle bestowed upon Seishuu by god was that a lot more fishes started to crowd around his hand. At first, he was surprised and nearly withdraw his hand, but he managed to stop himself. Pretty soon, there really was a crowd, and he mustered up the courage to touch them one by one. Gradually, after a few soft nudges and pokes, the fishes - _his_ fishes - started to enjoy the warmth of his hand, and Seishuu found himself smiling with his mouthpiece stuck in his mouth. He, too, quickly got used to the coldness of the fishes' scales and fins and their playful and shy kisses. The more he caressed, the more fish came over, and before he knew it, he was surrounded.

Hiroshi, seeing his lover enjoying all the attention he was getting from his new fish friends, felt his heart melt into a pulsing, warm mess. He wished he could just watch him like this forever, as long as Seishuu was happy, it felt like everything else in the world didn't matter and that he could rest easy and be at peace. It felt so good to be true that he pinched himself to make sure that it wasn't all a dream, if not, everything will disappear. All he wants is Seishuu to be this happy every single day of his life, with or without him is fine. Just as long as he's happy and alright and there will be nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing.

Seishuu, who was in his own world, suddenly spotted a really bright fish. It was _neon orange_ \- where did it even come from, though - but it looked really shy, as it just stayed at a distance as a spectator, watching the other fishes play around with Seishuu. Seishuu, with his confidence level up at least a hundred times from all the attention, held out a hand to urge it closer, but it just backed away, its tail swaying gently in the water. He was about to try again when Hiroshi lightly kicked himself over and tried to help. Fortunately, Hiroshi was good at this, and he slowly edged the neon orange fish closer to Seishuu's hand with his _own_ experienced hands. Slowly but surely, the fish inched closer and finally brushed against Seishuu's fingertips and Seishuu smiled with his eyes, so "wide" that the shy little fish probably saw how happy he was and automatically pressed itself against his palms, bathing in a new kind of warmth, wanting to make its new human friend happier.

A sweet ache pulsed through Hiroshi's chest as he watched the happiness in Seishuu's eyes glow. _Oh god... _

Before Hiroshi could envelop himself in his own thoughts again, he saw the calligrapher look up at him, his eyes two happy lines behind the goggles. It took Hiroshi a second to decipher what he was trying to say, due to the fact that he was so engrossed in his own feelings for him, and he realized that Seishuu was thanking him.

And - oh _god_ \- the scene was _unbelievable_. Hiroshi's eyes captured the perfect frame of Seishuu and his happiness and he felt like he could die. Seishuu was smiling happily - _too_ happily - at him, his hand cupping the bright neon orange fish close to his chest, so gently that he was barely touching it lest he hurt it, with numerous types of fishes surrounding him, painting the picture a gorgeous color, and his jet black hair flowing elegantly in the water. To top it all off, the overhead sun shot its bright rays down into the water and creating the _perfect_ lighting for this breath-taking painting. It was a magnificent painting. A painting of his lover. A painting he would surely die for.

Hiroshi pushed himself over, closer to Seishuu and interrupting their - Seishuu and his new found fish friends - friendly moment. It wasn't his mind controlling his body. His mind was too full of his love for Seishuu that he couldn't think straight. He reached up to his face and took out his mouthpiece, and before Seishuu could react, he gently reached over and took out Seishuu's mouthpiece too. Luckily, he had enough time to prevent any seawater from going in. Seishuu, shocked, pulled a glare onto his face, but that glare was immediately wiped off when Hiroshi cupped the back of his head, leaned in and pressed his lips against his, their masks colliding with each other with a dull clunk.

What was left on Seishuu's face after Hiroshi pulled away was only shock, and, smiling, Hiroshi pushed Seishuu's mouthpiece back into his mouth and his to his own. Blood rushed to Seishuu's cheeks faster than he could catch his breath, and after he could finally breathe again, he realized that even after he had his mouthpiece back on, the warmth of Hiroshi's lips stubbornly lingered on his and he knew it was something that could never fade off no matter how cold the water was.

Needless to say, even in the water, a flustered and blushing Seishuu is always adorable to Hiroshi, who blushed a little at the sight and the fact that he did something so cheesy, like it was straight out from a romance movie. Seeing Seishuu so vulnerable, though, Hiroshi had an urge to do it again.

* * *

"Let's eaaat!" The children said in unison as Hiroshi placed the last bowl of miso soup in front of Kenta and he sat down himself.

"Aahh... Hiro-nii's cooking is always great!" Miwa commented with a mouthful of salmon and rice.

"Lunch always tastes great after a good swim, eh?" Tamako followed after.

After stuffing down a few mouthfuls of rice and a couple of gulps of miso soup, Naru's chopsticks stopped in midair and looked around curiously.

"What's wrong, Naru?" Kenta piped up.

"Hm... Where's sensei?"

The room fell silent. It was a good question. Where was he, exactly?

Hiroshi, who was actually still eating during the period of silence, replied, "Oh, he's in the other room."

Right after that, everyone started moving again. That's because everyone knew what he meant. Once Seishuu is in the other room, everyone knew what he was up to, and it was best not to disturb him. The atmosphere quickly became livelier again, especially with Naru trying to stealthily steal Kenta's food.

"Hey! Eat your own food!" Hiroshi scolded, hitting Naru's chopsticks with his own. "Or I'll give ya less the next time!"

"Uhh, fine, fine!" Naru gave in and kept her chopsticks to herself for the rest of the meal.

When the watermelons were served, Seishuu still hadn't left the room yet, much to Hiroshi's worry. After he made sure everyone got their own serving of juicy watermelons, he went to take a peek. He cautiously and quietly slid the door open, making sure he didn't make even a single creak. He slid it open just a little slit, and almost immediately, his breath got stolen.

Right in the center of the wall facing him, there was a stained canvas. On it was something that portrayed the calmness of the ocean and the calamity of the waves. It portrayed happiness and love. It portrayed fear and nervousness. It portrayed new and exciting experiences. It was what Seishuu had experienced and was feeling throughout the entire day: his feelings, his thoughts, his emotions and what he expected and what he learnt. Everything. An entire day's worth of events. An entire day's worth of thoughts that go through his mind constantly. On a single canvas.

Seishuu was leaning against the wall beside the stained canvas, exhausted and drained.

On the canvas, there was only one word: 海.


End file.
